Child labour on in Gujarat Bt.cotton fields

Despite a stringent ban on child labour in India, a large number of underage children can be found working in Bt. cotton fields in Gujarat.

By Uday Adhvaryu

Sabarkantha (Gujarat), Sept.3 : Despite a stringent ban on child labour in India, a large number of underage children can be found working in Bt. cotton fields in Gujarat.

Due to a bumper crop this year, about 30,000 children will arrive for work in farms spread across Gujarat.

According to the Gujarat Agriculture Labour Union (GALU), every year around 20,000 children aged five to 14 arrive in Gujarat to work in the Bt. Cotton fields. And, this year, the number of child worker may increase by half in various Gujarat farms.

Sailesh Pandya, Member, Gujarat Agriculture Labour Union, said: "This season, there has been a bumper crop. Child labours come every year in the State but this time because of the bumper crops more children are expected to come."

Bt. Cotton farmers in Gujarat employ scores of small children, flouting all laws of the land related to child labour.

Employment of children in the farms for cross-pollination work of Bt. Cotton (genetically modified hybrid cotton seeds) is a common sight during this season in Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, and Mehsana Districts of Gujarat.

Farmers say that they have no choice but to employ children, as there is shortage of farm hands in the State.

At an age when other children go to school, these children are busy working in the farms for over 12 hours a day for a meagre daily wage of rupees 30 to 45 ( 0.72 to 1.09 dollars).

"I arrived here 14 days ago and I do cross-pollination in the Bt. Cotton fields for which I receive rupees 45 a day," said Arvind, a child labour.

The State Government Labour Officer, however, refutes such allegations that a large number of child labourers are working in the Bt. Cotton fields in Gujarat.

They say that they have suspicion about the age of just eight children working in the fields having surveyed 64 villages in the area.

"The children we found working in the field during inspection were above 14 years old. We couldn't find underage kids working in the field. Only in eight cases, we had doubt over children's age. We issued notices to those farmers and clarification are expected," said Arvind Darji, Government Labour Officer (Agriculture).

Officially, India currently has about 12 million child workers under 14, more than any other nation, but voluntary groups put the number at close to 60 million.

An estimated 21.6 million children, aged five to 14 years are working in South Asia out of a total of 300 million children of this age group.

In India, the ban on the employment of children below the age of 14 as domestic help and in Dhabas (road side eateries), restaurants, hotels and the hospitality sectors came into effect from Oct.10, 2006 under the provisions of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986.

Violation of the ban invites imprisonment up to two years and/or fine of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000.

Under the Act, children below 14 years of age are already banned from working in "hazardous" industries such bangle, fireworks, carpet weaving and glass making.

As per 2001 Census, around 256,000 children (1,85,000 in child domestic labour and over 70,000 in Dhabas and restaurants) were involved in these occupations.

Non-governmental organisations put the figure at 20 million - with one million children estimated to be working in these sectors in Delhi alone.

According to Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO, as per estimated figures, there are around four to five lakh child labours in Delhi and 6.50 crores across the country.

ANI